Which pillow for backpacking

[orionsbrother]

Sea to Summit Aero when weight is an issue.

Nemo Fillow when weight penalty isn’t an issue.

Haven’t tried the Sea to Summit Aero Down. I’m unaware of that one.

 

[HonkeyMcGee88]

OP you mentioned sleeping on your back and side.

I'm the same way and used the sea to submit inflatable pillow this weekend for the first time. Worked well but I need to dial in how much to inflate it for my comfort.

All the way inflated is too much for me on my back but good on my side, tried barely any air the next night and it was a too little for when on my side. I think I'll be happy with it once I get that figured out though.

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[ed2brute]

I have an Exped down pillow, probably similar to the S2S down: air bladder with a down filled topper for warmth and cushion. The Exped is more comfortable than a regular air pillow, for sure, but you still won’t mistake it for a real one.

 

[Wildlifer]

My pillow travel. I don’t like the air pillows very much especially for side sleeping. I put my puffy inside the pillow case to add some more volume.

 

[Jason7]

Does the puffy jacket have a tendency to lose its puff throughout the night and then you find yourself with almost nothing under your head for support in the am?

 

[Wildlifer]

No I use in combination with the “my pillow” it came with a pretty big pillow case bc it’s designed to be rolled up and tucked inside for storage. My puffy in under the pillow, both inside the pillow case. It give me the volume I need to sleep on my side that you can’t get in a camping pillow.

 

[307]

So I went to rei and tried out some pillows, torn between the sea to summit Aeros premium at 4.2 ounces or the Nemo fillo with foam coming in over 10 ounces. Both seemed nice. Nemo wasn’t quite as bouncy and didn’t move around when trying it on a pad or in a mummy bag but doesnt quite as much room for adjustment on thickness.

Decisions decisions... lol


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That sea to summit premium pillow is one of my most prized pieces of gear. It makes a huge difference in comfort for me vs. a stuff sack solution.

 

[Zoso5150]

Happy here with my Sea to Summit inflatable. Packs down to nothing. Good creature comfort.

 

[fwafwow]

Just ordered the Thermarest Air Head

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[Rokwiia]

Another Exped Down Pillow vote here. Very comfortable with a surface that isn't slippery.

http://www.exped.com/usa/en/down-pillow-l

 

[bsills]

Anyone try the Sea to Summit Aero *Down* Pillow? I've been planning to use a puffy in a stuff sack, but also want to plan for (a) wearing the puffy, and (b) that setup not being comfortable. As for weight, I can always choose to leave it with the truck (along w/ the Thermarest cot....)

I used that one this season and loved it

 

[Mike Islander]

I have tried several pillows. Stuff sacks with puffy clothing inside. Sea to Summit. Etc. Literally hated all of them. I alternate all night long between back and either side sleeping, and all the pillows I tried were either too thin, too round, too hard, too much like a half-full balloon, too slippery so that the popped out from under my head, etc. HATED THEM, and could not get a nice full night of sleep. Every time I woke up during the night I cursed every one of these pillows, because they got less comfortable as the night wore on.

Finally said to heck with weight and got a medium Thermarest compressible travel pillow. Literally one of the best pieces of gear I have. It's 14" x 18" and expands after a few hours to over 8 inches thick. At 8.8 oz it's a 5 oz tradeoff for a peaceful night's sleep. 5 oz you say? How is that? Because the only other pillow I could even come close to sleeping with is a 4 oz Sea to Summit large.

 

[Indyal]

Dang. I didn’t know something like this existed. One more item to consider for purchase

 

[Mike Islander]

Dang. I didn’t know something like this existed. One more item to consider for purchase

These little pillows are even more fantastic than I thought when I bought it. When you first get it, it will have been compressed since manufacture. So it will not fluff up right away, maybe gets to half full overnight. But give it a few days and the foam fills the entire pillow, like a nice fluffy marshmallow. It compresses nicely when you lay on it, very much like a regular pillow, only smaller and lighter.

It folds into its own little pocket and compresses down to about the size of a small Nerf football. I then add it to my clothing dry sack, lay on top of the sack, and compress everything down to about 1/10 of its uncompressed size or smaller.

I think you will love everything about this pillow except the weight. It's only 5 oz more than I was already carrying for a pillow. That's 3.5 oz less than a Big Mac and well worth a good night's sleep to me.

I'm using the size in the middle of the photo below.

 

[Chordeiles]

Ima give that Thermarest a try this year. I’ve got to have a good pillow to get any sleep.

I can do without a lot of things, while backpacking, but a good pillow ain’t one of them.

Ordered a medium from backcountry.com for 52% off.

 

[positivepete!]

Sleeping bag stuff sack filled with puffy clothes and a clean shirt over it so my face dosent stick to it. 0 extra weight

 

[Mike Islander]

Sleeping bag stuff sack filled with puffy clothes and a clean shirt over it so my face dosent stick to it. 0 extra weight

Wish I could sleep with that. Tried it. Tried the nice fleece-lined stuff sack. Tried all the usual suspects. Being oz-conscious, I hated the thought of bringing a foam pillow, until I got one. Literally the best piece of gear I have purchased lately regarding performance over what I was using before. Now I think of it like a stove or a bug net. It's a comfort item I could live without but am not willing to do so. I did reduce the weight of my spike camp shelter system to 9 oz, so more than made up for the additional weight when I need to be fast and light.

 

[positivepete!]

How much dose an ambien and a tylenol weigh? Just kidding.....kinda

 

[Mike Islander]

How much dose an ambien and a tylenol weigh? Just kidding.....kinda

A little less than 9 oz less than my pillow. Except I can wake up anytime during the night, from a deep, comfortable sleep, and be alert and function if necessary. And I won't be groggy the next morning.

For me, it's silly to put that junk in my body instead of carrying a bit more weight for a comfortable bed. Just as it's silly to eat cold food instead of carrying a stove. Backpack hunting is hard enough as it is. I have no desire to make it harder or less comfortable. The little luxuries of a comfortable bed, hot food, and a steaming cup of coffee in the morning are all part of an excellent hunting experience.

 

[positivepete!]

10

A little less than 9 oz less than my pillow. Except I can wake up anytime during the night, from a deep, comfortable sleep, and be alert and function if necessary. And I won't be groggy the next morning.

For me, it's silly to put that junk in my body instead of carrying a bit more weight for a comfortable bed. Just as it's silly to eat cold food instead of carrying a stove. Backpack hunting is hard enough as it is. I have no desire to make it harder or less comfortable. The little luxuries of a comfortable bed, hot food, and a steaming cup of coffee in the morning are all part of an excellent hunting experience.
I guess that's what some time in the military did for me. Cold food, no problem. No coffee, no big deal. No pillow, no issues. I can take sleep aids and they dont make me groggy or affect my function. But I do forget sometimes how that stuff works on other people. My wife is an example, nighttime cold medicine puts her out like a coma patient for 4 hours and she wakes up with a hangover.